Mary White (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As acting leader for Fianna Fáil today, I wish to raise the issue of water fluoridation in Ireland. The condition of Irish people's dental health in the 1950s has been summed up by Dr. Joe Mullen, principal dental surgeon at the HSE, as being dreadful and an absolute emergency that needed to be addressed. This is endorsed by Professor Denis O'Mullane, former chief dental officer at the Department of Health in the 1950s and former professor of dentistry in UCC in the 1990s.

In 1964, then Fianna Fáil Deputy and Minister for Health, Sean McEntee, made the courageous decision to introduce water fluoridation in Ireland in the interests of the dental health of Irish children. Mr. McEntee, a feisty northerner who had courageously fought for Irish people's freedom in the 1916 Rising at the GPO, was fearless in pursuing a cause in which he believed. The fluoridation of Irish water has now been in effect here for 50 years. The battle to introduce it in Ireland was fought out in the High Court and subsequently in the Supreme Court and it therefore has constitutional accord in our country.

Despite the fact that numerous scientific reviews have demonstrated that water fluoridation has greatly benefited the dental health of people over the timespan of its use, sadly, it has consistently been the subject of disinformation and distortion of evidence. On an issue that provokes such strong feelings, it is crucial to have responsible and measured debate based solely on facts. In 2002, the forum on water fluoridation published a report which found that water fluoridation has been very effective in combating tooth decay. There is no valid evidence of any negative health effects from fluoridation at the maximum permitted level.

The expert body on fluorides and health was established in 2004 to advise the Minister for Health on all matters relating to water fluoridation. It continues to meet and discharge its responsibilities under the chairmanship of Dr. Seamus O’Hickey, a fellow of the International College of Dentists. The expert body has found the only side effect from fluoridation is dental fluorosis, a superficial staining of the teeth which can be easily removed.

Across the world, many health organisations have conducted similar reviews. In the US, the National Research Council did a study on fluoride in drinking water in 2006. In 2007, the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council published its findings on the safety of fluoridation in water. In 2009, Health Canada published expert panel guidelines in 2009 for Canadian drinking water quality. In 2014, Public Health England 2014 provided a water fluoridation health monitoring report. Not one of these reports established any basis for considering that artificially fluoridated water supplies could pose any health risk.

Water fluoridation is a cost-effective measure, costing €3.86 million a year, while preventing tooth decay which is painful.